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HIPEC for stomach cancer

Video: What is HIPEC?

Dr. Charles Komen Brown, a surgical oncologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, discusses Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC). He explains how this treatment can be used in conjunction with surgery to treat abdominal cancers.

What is HIPEC?

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a highly concentrated, heated chemotherapy treatment that is delivered directly to the abdomen during surgery.

Unlike systemic chemotherapy delivery, which circulates throughout the body, HIPEC delivers chemotherapy directly to cancer cells in the abdomen. This allows for higher doses of chemotherapy treatment. Heating the solution may also improve the absorption of chemotherapy drugs by tumors and destroy microscopic cancer cells that remain in the abdomen after surgery.

How it works

Before patients receive HIPEC treatment, doctors perform cytoreductive surgery to remove visible tumors within the abdomen. Cytoreductive surgery is accomplished using various surgical techniques. Once as many tumors as possible have been removed, the heated, sterilized chemotherapy solution is delivered to the abdomen to penetrate and destroy remaining cancer cells. The solution is 41 to 42 degrees Celsius, about the temperature of a warm bath. It’s circulated throughout the abdomen for approximately 1 ½ hours. The solution is then drained from the abdomen and the incision is closed.

HIPEC is a treatment option for people who have advanced surface spread of cancer within the abdomen, without disease involvement outside of the abdomen.

Advantages of HIPEC

Allows for high doses of chemotherapy

Enhances and concentrates chemotherapy within the abdomen

Minimizes the rest of the body’s exposure to the chemotherapy

Improves chemotherapy absorption and susceptibility of cancer cells

Reduces some chemotherapy side effects

Contact us at 800-515-9608 to learn more about our HIPEC program and team of experts.

Our HIPEC experts are surgical oncologists who have several years of experience in performing complex and advanced surgical procedures. They work with a multispecialty team that includes medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and radiologists. The team offers each patient a comprehensive and personalized cancer treatment plan. Patients' care teams also include clinical oncology dietitians, pain management clinicians, naturopathic oncology providers, mind-body therapists, physical therapists and spiritual counselors to help patients manage treatment side effects and improve quality of life.

Referring physicians: To refer a patient or for assistance in determining if your patient is a candidate for HIPEC, please contact Julie Christensen, our HIPEC coordinator, directly at 847-731-1687 or Julie.Christensen@ctca-hope.com.

Learn about our HIPEC experts:

Dr. Bieligk earned a medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He completed a general surgery residency and a research fellowship at Tulane University School of Medicine, and a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Read Dr. Bieligk's full bio

Dr. Brown earned a medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Arizona affiliated hospitals, as well as fellowships in biological therapy for cancer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and in surgical oncology at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Read Dr. Brown's full bio

Dr. Esquivel completed a gastrointestinal surgical oncology fellowship under Dr. Paul Sugarbaker, the founder of the HIPEC procedure. He earned a medical degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas in Mexico. He completed a surgical internship at Washington Hospital Center, followed by a general surgery residency at The New York Hospital of Queens.
Read Dr. Esquivel’s full bio

Dr. Flynn earned a medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed a general surgery internship at Allegheny University hospitals, a general surgery residency at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia and a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Read Dr. Flynn's full bio

Dr. Halabi earned a medical degree at the American University in Beirut. He completed a general surgery internship and residency, in addition to a fellowship in surgery, medical informatics and telemedicine at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He completed a surgical oncology fellowship at The Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy Health Services in Baltimore. Furthermore, Dr. Halabi studied translational research in clinical oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
Read Dr. Halabi's full bio

Dr. Huss earned an osteopathic medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University. He completed a general surgery internship and residency at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center and a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Read Dr. Huss' full bio

Dr. Litvak earned a medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed a surgical internship and residency at the University of California, Davis-East Bay, a research fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch and a surgical oncology fellowship at John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Read Dr. Litvak's full bio

Dr. Sanabria earned a medical degree from Our Lady of the Rosary University in Colombia. He completed a surgical residency at Toronto General and Mount Sinai Hospitals, followed by a fellowship in abdominal organ transplantation and hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at the University of Toronto.
Read Dr. Sanabria's full bio

Dr. Yahanda earned a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He completed an internship and residency in general surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Surgery, followed by a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Read Dr. Yahanda's full bio

HIPEC for stomach cancer

HIPEC may be particularly helpful for stomach cancer patients with abdominal tumors that have not spread to organs such as the liver or lungs, or to lymph nodes outside of the abdominal cavity.

Together, the cytoreductive surgery and delivery of the heated chemotherapy solution require six to eight hours to perform. After a six-week recovery period, HIPEC patients receive traditional, systemic chemotherapy.